Genesis

Day 34

The apocalypse had change everything. Gone went the children, in came adults gone went innocence and naivety, in came a hard, understanding of the new reality. Gone went free time, books, happiness; in came loneliness, tears, and running. Always running. They never seemed to stop.

They, of course, being the humans. The ones who had, for some unknown reason, survived the Virus and the first days of the apocalypse. The ones who were still, for some unknown reason, surviving.

Sutter was one of those people. One of the ones who grew up much too fast. One of the ones who lost everything and now barely survived. One of the ones who always seemed to be running or hiding or fighting. She was a sweet, innocent 16 year old who never skipped class, always said the right things, and wore pretty dresses with heels and curled hair. She was one of them. Now she wore old, dirt-and-God-knows-what-else stained jeans and a ratty old Hawkeye sweatshirt. She wore tennis shoes that had maybe once been white, but were now so dirty and bloody that they were a grey-brown color. Her hair was always tangled, always dirty, always in a ponytail. And she was always, always sad.

How could she not be? She'd watched her mother turn into one of those things, and then kill her father. And then, when she and her two brothers and her sister had ran, she'd watched her oldest brother sacrifice himself in order for them to live. He died on his birthday. And then, when they were nearing their car, her sister was dragged away by the creatures. But Sutter told herself she could be okay. She had Sammy. They did fine for a little while. Until three days later, Sammy got the Virus and threw himself off the roof of the building they were staying in.

After that, she was alone for a while. Then, she'd stumbled across the Matthews, who took her in. She stayed with them, crammed into the back of their SUV with their dog Tin Man and their 3-month-old son David. It was fine. At least she was alive. But Mrs. Claire Matthews was getting sicker, and Mr. Case Matthews was getting worried; and they were almost out of food.

At this point, Sutter didn't know if life was meant for her to live.

"Oi, Moxxie!" Moxxie looked up from where she sat, leaning over a detailed map of the complex's grounds. A flurry of papers drifted from her hands as she jumped. Her eyes snapped up, searching for the source of the voice, a glare forming on her face.

"What?" she snapped. The person of interest, a short, skinny man shrank back for a moment before rebounding and bouncing forward once again.

"I gotta joke for you," he tentatively called. Moxxie sighed, a hand rubbing against her forehead. She rose from her stooped position and pushed the escaping locks of hair from her ponytail back.

"What, Luki?" she asked. She leaned against the long table.

"Why was six afraid of seven?" Luki, despite being over the age of 2o and very much an adult, was bouncing on his feet from excitement like a child.

"Why?" Moxxie asked, twirling her pen between her fingers.

"Because seven-eight-nine! Get it?" Moxxie nodded. Luki continued to laugh hysterically until silencing out of fear when looming Aaron lumbered in. He bent to enter the room, narrowly avoiding the doorway, and looked at Moxxie for a long moment before speaking.

"One of the prisoners got out," he finally said. Moxxie blinked at him.

"What?" she asked. Luki continued to bounce on his feet, but moved farther from Aaron.

"One of the prisoners got out," Aaron repeated. Moxxie blinked again before taking three quick steps and slapping Aaron across the face.

"Ooooh! Oh!" Luki cried. Still bouncing, he ran around the two. "She told you! Dang!"